The NFU has urged ministers to secure a workable SPS deal with the EU, warning that poorly managed alignment risks disrupting food production unless farmers are given clear transitions and key exemptions.
Talks on the proposed SPS agreement — part of the wider EU Reset process — aim to reduce post-Brexit agri-food trade barriers by aligning certain UK rules with those of the EU.
In exchange, Brussels is seeking legally assured alignment in specific sanitary and phytosanitary areas to justify removing export certificates, border checks and restrictions on certain British products.
The EU remains the UK’s largest agri-food export market, making a smoother, lower-friction trading relationship especially important for livestock, dairy, horticulture and seed producers.
SPS rules govern how animals, plants and food products move between countries, so any changes directly affect farm businesses that depend on exporting livestock, cereals, fresh produce and processed goods.
Since Brexit, exporters have had to navigate new certification, phytosanitary paperwork and veterinary inspections, adding cost and delay to perishable supply chains.
Divergence between UK and EU rules has grown since 2021, with differences emerging around pesticide approvals, seed regulations and veterinary medicines.
This widening regulatory gap has created practical headaches for many producers, particularly those dealing in short-life produce, breeding stock or specialist plant material.
The NFU said the UK must negotiate a variable-paced transition, with phased timelines for different policy areas. It argues that some sectors — such as horticulture, which relies on imported inputs — could realign more quickly, while others will require more time.
Plant protection products are a key example: several products have been approved post-Brexit in Great Britain but not in the EU, meaning immediate alignment would create sudden restrictions for growers.
The union is also calling for exemptions from dynamic alignment in specific areas, including safeguarding access to precision breeding, protecting the UK’s bovine TB cattle vaccination programme, and securing technical adaptations to mycotoxin rules — particularly important given Britain’s maritime climate and its different mycotoxin pressures compared with continental Europe.
Livestock producers are also concerned about potential changes to veterinary medicines rules affecting antimicrobial resistance protocols.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said a successful SPS deal must balance regulatory alignment with the practical realities of food production. “
Alignment in many areas will help remove friction and unlock trade,” he said, “but there are some areas which need to be treated carefully to minimise disruption to Britain’s farming sector and some which need to be excluded completely.”
He added that the union had given “clear direction” to government negotiators on the transitions and exemptions required to protect innovation, animal health and productivity.
Bradshaw warned that British food production must not be limited by rules that “restrict our ambitions for food production”, and stressed that the UK must retain a meaningful role in shaping future regulatory decisions.
The wider political context adds urgency. The EU Reset reflects a renewed effort by both sides to stabilise the trading relationship after years of friction. For the EU, ensuring that imports meet equivalent biosecurity and food safety standards is essential to protect the Single Market.
For the UK, the cost of inaction is clear: without an agreement, exporters will continue facing the full suite of post-Brexit checks, and divergence is likely to widen further, increasing long-term pressure on competitiveness in key sectors from livestock to horticulture.
“It’s up to the government now to back its farmers around the negotiating table,” Bradshaw said, adding that the NFU will stay closely involved as negotiations progress.
